Hala Bira Tugs-Tugs at Dinagyang!

Bernárdo Arelláno III Festivals, Iloilo, Visayas

Look at the picture below:

People in front of the giant speakers...listening and just staring

That’s my favorite subject for my photo shoot in Calle Real. The International House (S.Villanueva Building as according to ICCHCC catalogue) at the corner of JM Basa corner Aldeguer Street. The symbol of Iloilo’s glorious past. Yet I won’t be talking heritage here, but I like to share a common scene during the city’s largest festival, the Dinagyang.

It’s all about those people staring blankly at sound systems which are playing in full volume!

Play this video below (or the next page). I apologize for the annoying voice that I have…pasensyahan na lang tayo, malakas kasi patugtog.

This scene is very common during Dinagyang Festival. Hordes of people, mostly men, stand in front of giant speakers or sound systems which are playing perky or novelty music in full blast. Yes, they are at max volume! But they just stand there. Nope. They’re not dancing, they are not singing…they are just standing staring blankly and listening to the music, feeling the beat coming from the gargantuan speakers.

These speakers usually line up the streets of downtown Iloilo City during Dinagyang season for the “battle of the sound systems,” wherein disco and sound system companies bested each other out by producing the loudest music there is.

In the previous Dinagyang celebrations, the Solis-Iznart Streets was the place to avoid…err, to be with. All corners of the intersection have been installed by giant speakers. For everyone passing by, they may cover their ears but they can still feel their chests throbbing--para kang sini-CPR. While most of the people avoid it, some are really-attracted to it. Like a moth in a flicker of candle light. They just stand blankly and feel the throbbin’ and beatin.’ Now that’s what you call trance! No need to go to superclubs to feel it, hehe!

Anyway, unhealthy and dangerous it may seem but some people are still attracted to these monsters.

During Dinagyang, the drumbeats are not the sole music and beat kings of downtown Iloilo City-giant speakers too! That’s hala bira tugs tugs for you! :D

Bernárdo Arelláno III

Berniemack Arellano, is the blogger behind HabagatCentral and ViajeroFilipino. A simple and boring guy who wants to go amok whenever he’s being prevented going somewhere else. Traveler, Blogger, Food Lover, Proud Pinoy, Mexiphile, Isko ng Bayan, Passion with History and Urban Planning, FSX Pilot and future professional cartographer Since birth, he has been traveling due to the transient nature of the work of the father: NPA for short (no permanent address) or a nomad. Prefers to do more than just sightseeing, but experience anything local--from food, festivals, cities, culture, heritage and more.

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  • http://lakwatsero.me Jojo Ayson

    Hahahaha…. Tawang-tawa ako dito. But you are right, provincial festivals are fond of these speaker walls.

    Personally, I find them annoying because you can’t hear yourself think.

  • http://www.habagatcentral.com Berniemack Arellano

    Ako nga, nawawala sa mundo kada daan ko sa mga ganyan. What more pa ang 4-pack assault sa isang kanto noon sa Iloilo City, LOL!

  • http://flavoursofiloilo.blogspot.com jorp

    oo nga bernz sayang at wala na dun sa may solis-iznart.dun pa naman ang pinakamalakas before. pero this Dinagyang 2011 nalipat yata yugn mga super soudn systems sa gaisano city based sa mga photos ko nakita hehehe

  • http://journeyingjames.com/ journeyingjames

    gusto ko ng ganyan na vibes bernie! ganda talaga ng iloilo, sana ma-experience ko dinagyang next year

  • http://www.habagatcentral.com Berniemack Arellano

    LOL! Kabog sa dibdib, tugs tugs! Sige, ipaparanas ko sa’yo yang vibes na yan, hehe! :D

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